Suspected dealer in jail, nearly 8 lbs. of fentanyl seized in SF Tenderloin drug bust

SAN FRANCISCO - Nearly eight pounds of fentanyl was seized in San Francisco by officers during an arrest of a suspected drug dealer.

The bust and arrest of the suspected dealer happened October 8 at approximately 1:30 a.m. in the city’s Tenderloin District at the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street.

Deputy SFPD Chief Raj Vaswani said officers identified the man as the suspect in a case from the night prior that they were investigating, in which the man allegedly pulled a gun and threatened to kill a woman. In their search of the suspect, officers located and seized nearly $1,000 in cash and 3.6 kilograms of drugs from cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine to fentanyl. The majority was suspected fentanyl, weighing in at roughly 3.5 kilograms, equivalent to nearly eight pounds.

"It was in different forms," Vaswani said. "It was pink fentanyl. It was pills… Any time we take product off the street in this quantity... it does save lives."

The suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Miguel Ramos.

Interim District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Ramos is facing multiple felony charges for possession with intent to sell the drugs and misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon. The DA’s office estimated the amount of fentanyl seized is enough to kill more than 1.5 million people, or enough to kill the population of San Francisco two times over. 

"It’s highly significant," she said. "We’re talking about someone engaged in violent conduct… and him being found that could kill more than this entire city."

Ramos has prior drug convictions and the DA’s office said it believes Ramos is likely providing drugs to other low-level dealers on the streets. Jenkins is seeking for him to be detained in her efforts to crack down on the city’s open air drug market.

"This is not someone who should be out on the streets while this case is pending given the public safety he presents," Jenkins added.

Jenkins is up for election in November. She was appointed by Mayor London Breed after D.A. Chesa Boudin was recalled last summer. Jenkins was recently criticized by San Francisco's public defender, who called her policies "regressive" and that her approach to the drug epidemic would lead to mass incarcerations of impoverished people and disproportionately affect BIPOC communities. 

Ramos appeared in court late Wednesday for an arraignment. The motion to keep him detained will be heard on Friday. Until then, Ramos will be held without bail.

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